Chapter 658: First Teaching
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Jock ran down the street. The backpack swung behind him. He has been running ever since the school day ended.
His breathing sounded raspy, as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion, and he was wheezing uncontrollably.
This had been the most exercise he had done in all of his life.
After a short while, he arrived at the front iron gate of the Martial Redemption dojo, and he knocked weakly on the gate.
"Huff! Huff!"
Jock hunched over, grabbed his knees, and looked as if he were about to just release his lunch all over the ground.
The nearby pedestrians looked at him worriedly, wondering if he was about to pass out.
At that moment, the iron gate opened, and Kiernan looked at the wheezing boy with a raised eyebrow.
"Huff! Huff!"
Jock wanted to greet him but couldn’t stop his heavy breathing, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears.
"Come on in."
Kiernan said.
With a quick nod, Jock stepped inside, and he sat down at the steps of the dojo building.
Kiernan offered him a drink. Jock accepted it with both hands and immediately downed it all.
"You ran all the way from school?"
Kiernan asked.
"Y-Yeah..."
After drinking the water, Jock was able to answer.
’...Action Street is about three kilometers away from Montrael Middle School. He looks like he is on the verge of death for just running that distance.’
There was a lot to do, but not enough time.
’This is a tier 1 country. I can’t possibly help him go from beginner to the strongest student of his class in a week. I am not that delusional.
’I am sure that some of his classmates are close to the peak of Martial Soldier, which is quite insane from middle school students.
’In New Rakuya, becoming Martial Soldier before high school was unheard of.’
Kiernan thought, but he was going to try to make Jock strong enough to not humiliate himself in the competition.
"Ahh..."
After five minutes of resting, Jock started to look healthier and thanked Kiernan for the drink.
"Is there a place I can change my clothes? I’d like to get out of my school uniform if that is possible. I brought my training clothes in the backpack."
Jock said.
"Do it inside the dojo."
Kiernan said.
While Jock went to get his clothes changed, Kiernan took out a wooden box from his inventory. He placed it on his lap.
When he opened it, there were acupuncture needles inside. It was something he purchased earlier today from the nearby market.
"I am ready to start training, sensei!"
Jock walked over, dressed in a black shirt, shorts, and sneakers. He was skinny with spaghetti arms, as if he had never lifted weights before.
"Before we start. I have this for you."
Kiernan reached out to his pocket and pulled out a white headband with Martial Redemption embroidered on it.
"A headband?"
Jock asked curiously.
"In Martial Redemption, we differentiate students by the colors of their headbands. White is for beginners.
"In here, it doesn’t mean what martial rank you have. It only matters your mastery over Iron Style.
"You’re just beginning, so naturally you are at the first level, White."
Kiernan stood up and put the headband over Jock’s head. It fit him quite perfectly. Jock’s eyes widened in excitement.
"Are you ready to start your training?"
Kiernan asked.
"Yes, sensei!"
Jock shouted.
In that moment, Kiernan showed him the acupuncture needles. He told him, "Jock, sit down." He did what was told, but he was quite curious about what he was going to do.
’Acupuncture needles? Why? I thought they were used as some sort of mystical treatment method, but I don’t have any illnesses or diseases, so why?’
Jock wondered to himself.
At that moment, Kiernan stabbed one of the needles at one of his pressure points. It stung him like a bee sting.
"What is this for actually?"
Jock asked curiously.
"This is not a training that I would usually do to my students, but since I only have a week to work with you, I am going to engrave the basics of Iron Style into your body by force."
Kiernan said.
"Gulp!"
Jock gulped loud and clear.
He really didn’t like the sound of that.
At that moment, Kiernan kept piercing his flesh with the needles. There were about a hundred needles in the box, and he was going to use all of them.
The back was soon full of needles, and Jock’s face looked like a pincushion once he moved to stabbing his face with the needles.
Soon enough, with his body full of needles, there was only one remaining needle at the box, and Kiernan took it into his hand.
"Stand up, carefully now."
As instructed, Jock stood up. It was difficult. He moved upright like a stiff figure, and Kiernan helped him to move.
"Your first teaching—the stance of Iron Style—is the heart and soul of Iron Style, and without this stance, the style wouldn’t exist."
Jock didn’t move his body, but Kiernan did, pushing his leg slightly forward, dropping his hips slightly, and pivoting on his toes.
He then moved his arms, turned his hands, and individually moved each of the fingers to force him to stand in the stance of the Iron Style.
When he moved the last finger, Jock’s face looked uncomfortable, as he was now standing in the perfect Iron Style stance.
His body ached, as he wasn’t used to holding such a rigid pose for so long.
"You will stand in this position until this stance is engraved into your mind. Just like breathing, moving your legs, and blinking your eyes."
Kiernan said, and then he stabbed the last needle between Jock’s eyes.
"?!"
Jock’s eyes widened in shock. He tried breathing. He tried slightly flexing his fingers. It all failed, as he was completely paralyzed.
"Study this stance. Get comfortable. Remember this stance, and make it normal, just like your normal resting pose."
Kiernan sat on the steps of the dojo and said while he took a sip of the water bottle.
Cold sweat ran down Jock’s face. He was very much in pain. There was an itch in his back that he couldn’t scratch.
’...I will not be defeated by this!’
Jock screamed inwardly. His eyes turned slightly red. And then, he started studying the stance, trying to engrave the sight of it into his mind.
He wanted to learn this stance so that the next time he was doing it, he didn’t need to think about what he had to do, and that he would just do it naturally.
The Lantern of the Eternal Night was burning brightly at the background.